Battle of the Planets
Encyclopedia
Battle of the Planets (1978
) is an American
animated television
adaptation of the Japan
ese anime
series Science Ninja Team Gatchaman
(1972
). Of the 105 original Gatchaman episodes, 85 were used in the Battle of the Planets adaptation, produced by Sandy Frank Entertainment. The adaptation is generally faithful to the plot and character development of the original Gatchaman series, but significant additions and reductions were made in order to increase appeal to the North America
n juvenile-male television market of the late 1970s, as well as avoid controversy from parents; most notable was the removal of elements of graphic violence, profanity and transgenderism.
As of February 2007, Sandy Frank's 30-year license to Battle of the Planets is expired.
An oft-delayed CGI film based on the franchise, Gatchaman, last slated for a 2011 release from Warner Bros., was officially cancelled in June 2011.
G-Force protects Earth from planet Spectra and other attacks from beyond space. The most prominent field commander of the Spectra forces was a villainous, masked individual known only as Zoltar. Zoltar would receive his orders directly from a being he would refer only to as "Luminous One". The Luminous One would appear only as a ghost-like, disembodied, floating head. Who, or what this being actually was, is never explained in any detail throughout the series. Some have offered suggestions that it could have been some sort of an alien life form due to the Spectra organization being cast as "alien" invaders from another planet. Another suggestion was that it was an advanced Artificial Intelligence that either took over command of Spectra, was given command of Spectra, or who may have even created Spectra due to its superior intellect, organizational skills and strategic abilities. However, as of this writing, no clear explanation or back story has been provided on the creature.
The main ship of the G-Force team is called the Phoenix, which can carry, transport and deploy four smaller vehicles, each operated by one team member. The four vehicles include a futuristic race car with various hidden weapons driven by Jason; this vehicle is concealed within the Phoenix's nosecone. The "galacti-cycle", a futuristic motor cycle the Princess rides, is stored within the left wing capsule of the Phoenix. Keyop's "Space Bubble", an all-terrain, tank-like vehicle capable of VTOL
as well as being a submersible craft, is held in the right storage capsule of the Phoenix. And lastly, a futuristic jet fighter Mark pilots is stored in the top rear section of the Phoenix command island structure, and which uses its tail fin to make up the center tail fin for the Phoenix. The fifth crew member, Tiny, was assigned to pilot the Phoenix rather than one of the detachable craft.
A regularly featured plot device was the transformation of the Phoenix into a flaming bird-shaped craft able to handle virtually any exceptional situation by functioning as a sort of giant, super blowtorch called the Fiery Phoenix. The Phoenix’s primary weapon was a supply of rockets called "Bird missiles" in the series. It also occasionally flaunted a powerful solar-powered energy blaster, although the team had the misfortune of choosing very cloudy days to use it.
The G-Force team themselves would use a combination of martial arts skill, ninja-like weapons, and their "cerebonic" powers to dispatch hordes of enemy soldiers and overcome other obstacles. Their bird-like costumes include wing-like capes that could fan out and function nearly identically to parachutes, enabling the G-Force members to drift or glide down to safety from heights which would otherwise prove fatal.
The G-Force members stay in contact through a wrist-band communicator device which also serves as a way for them to change instantly into their G-Force uniforms or back into their civilian clothes. Other weapons seen displayed by various team members include, but not limited to: Mark's sonic boomerang, a bird-shaped boomerang with razor sharp wings; Jason's and Tiny's multi-purpose gadget guns, which can be outfitted with grappling hook and line, drill bits, etc.; and Keyop's and Princess's yo-yo bombs, which could be used as bolas, darts, and explosive devices. Other weapons include feathers with a sharpened steel quill that could be used as deadly throwing darts, and mini-grenades shaped like ball bearings with spike studs.
In 1986, Gatchaman was re-worked in the US as G-Force: Guardians of Space by Turner
, with a good deal of the original content that had been edited out of Battle of the Planets put back in to the show. It followed the plot of the original Gatchaman much more faithfully than Battle of the Planets because of this. Missing was Hoyt Curtin
's original score and new voice acting.
Two soundtrack
albums and several DVD
s have also been released.
The two Japanese follow-up series (Gatchaman II
and Gatchaman F
) were combined into 65 episodes and released as the Saban
-produced show Eagle Riders. All 65 episodes aired in Australia
, but in the United States only 13 episodes were aired.
ism) while adding elements reminiscent of the feature film Star Wars
, which was popular at the time. In fact the name "Battle of the Planets" was an attempt to associate itself with that popularity of Star Wars (Battle vs. Wars and Planets vs. Star). While the original Gatchaman was earthbound, dark-toned, and environmentally themed, the adaptation morphed it into a kid-friendly outer space show with robot
characters, although some environmental themes were kept, and this is also why the other planets to which G-Force traveled on missions looked very much like Earth. Setting, violence, objectionable language, and (most) character fatalities were altered or eliminated by cutting scenes, dubbing, and explanatory voiceover
s (for instance, claiming that the city had been evacuated before a battle scene that would show the incidental destruction of buildings and houses, as well as explaining away the destruction of the Earth armies and air forces as being robot tanks and fighter planes).
One of the most notable changes in the BotP adaptation involves the character Keyop (Jinpei in Gatchaman), who picked up a bizarre verbal tic
of stuttering, chirping, and burbling every time he started to speak. There was a longstanding fan rumor that this was done because the original character spoke using much profanity and that Keyop's excess mouth motion would cover up deleting the words. This was not true, as demonstrated by the existence of an unedited Gatchaman version released by ADV Films in the USA, in which Keyop rarely if ever used profanity. The in-story explanation for Keyop's unique manner of speech is that he is an artificial life form with a speech impediment because of slightly defective genetic engineering.
The main villain, known as Zoltar in BotP, had an unusual background due to the hermaphroditic
nature of the original Berg Katse character. In an episode where Katse's female half was featured (BotP title: "The Galaxy Girls"), she was introduced as a separate character, Zoltar's sister, for BotP. (A hint of her actual nature was retained in the name she used when masquerading as a human, Mala Latroz—"Latroz" is an anagram of "Zoltar.")
To compensate for the other differences, a robot named 7-Zark-7 performed explanatory voiceovers and light comic relief, which not only padded the time lost from editing but also filled in the gaps in the story line. This device bears the influence of contemporary Star Wars film, with 7-Zark-7 having a visual appearance not dissimilar from R2-D2
, and a somewhat campy personality in the style of C3PO. Notionally, 7-Zark-7 ran the undersea monitoring station Center Neptune, from where he received information regarding incoming threats to Earth and relayed that information to G-Force. Zark and other added characters, such as 1-Rover-1, Zark's robotic dog (who could hover from one side of the control room to the other by spinning his tail like a propeller
, Muttley
-style) and Susan (the early-warning computer whose sultry feminine voice often sent Zark into paroxysms) added to the cartoon's youth appeal. Some additional footage was also animated showing G-Force members (using their Gatchaman model sheets) interacting with Zark, helping his addition blend more smoothly into the existing Gatchaman footage (although there is a clear difference in quality between the Zark and the Gatchaman animation).
At the time, Battle of the Planets was a favorite with children; the series is generally recalled with fondness by those now-adult viewers. However, some fans of the original Gatchaman contend that because of all the changes made, the resulting Battle of the Planets is and should be considered as a wholly different show. It should be noted that, in spite of the alterations, the plot and character development of the adaptation generally follows that of the original to a higher degree than for which it is usually given credit.
Produced by: Sandy Frank Film Syndication, Gallerie International Films Ltd.
Executive Producers: Jameson Brewer, Sandy Frank
Associate Producer: Warner E. Leighton
Producer-Directors: David E. Hanson, Alan Dinehart
Writers: Jameson Brewer, Peter B. Germano
, William Bloom
, Jack Paritz, Harry Winkler
, Helen Sosin, Muriel Germano, Dick Shaw, Kevin Coates
, Howard Post
, Sid Morse
Supervising Film Editor: Franklin Cofod
Assistant Editor: Pam Bentkowski
Voice Director: Alan Dinehart
Assistant Voice Director: Alan Dinehart Jr
Creative Consultant: David Levy
Standards and Practices: Winifred Treimer
Program Consultants: Leonard Reeg, George Serban, M.D.
Production Executives: Irving Klein, Tom Swafford
Production Assistant: Bob Robinson
Production Manager: Emil Carle
Animation Supervisor: Harold Johns
Design Consultant: Alex Toth
Music Composers: Hoyt S. Curtin, Dennis Dreith
, Richard Greene
Music Supervisors: Paul DeKorte, Igo Kantor
ADR Recording: TV-R Hollywood
Camera: Take One
Ink and Paint: C&D Productions, Hollywood
Titles: Thomas Wogatzke
Jason: Unknown ("Attack of The Space Terrapin"), Ronnie Schell
(all other episodes)
Princess/Susan/Mala: Janet Waldo
Keyop/7-Zark-7: Alan Young
Tiny: Ronnie Schell
("Attack Of The Space Terrapin"), Alan Dinehart Jr (all other episodes)
Chief Anderson/President Kane: Alan Dinehart Jr
Zoltar/The Great Spirit/Colonel Cronus: Keye Luke
Announcer: William Woodson
Misc.: Alan Oppenheimer
, David Joliffe, Wendy Young, Takayo Fischer
form, originally by Gold Key Comics
, but later revamped by Top Cow Productions
. Among the Top Cow comic books was Battle of the Planets: Princess, written by David Wohl
with art by Wilson Tortosa
, released in 2002
. A Battle of the Planets comic strip ran in the British TV Comic
. The TV Comic issues which feature the Battle of the Planets strip run from #1530 (17 April 1981) to #1671 (30 December 1983). TV Comic also reprinted some of the Gold Key stories for two Battle of the Planets holiday specials and one TV Comic holiday special. There was also a Battle of the Planets annual which reprinted some of the Gold Key stories.
1978 in television
The year 1978 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1978.For the American TV schedule, see: 1978-79 American network television schedule.-Events:...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
animated television
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
adaptation of the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series Science Ninja Team Gatchaman
Science Ninja Team Gatchaman
is a 5-member superhero team that is composed of the main characters in several Japanese anime created by Tatsuo Yoshida and originally produced in Japan by Tatsunoko Productions and later adapted into several English-language versions...
(1972
1972 in television
The year 1972 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1972.For the American TV schedule, see: 1972-73 American network television schedule.-Events:...
). Of the 105 original Gatchaman episodes, 85 were used in the Battle of the Planets adaptation, produced by Sandy Frank Entertainment. The adaptation is generally faithful to the plot and character development of the original Gatchaman series, but significant additions and reductions were made in order to increase appeal to the North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n juvenile-male television market of the late 1970s, as well as avoid controversy from parents; most notable was the removal of elements of graphic violence, profanity and transgenderism.
As of February 2007, Sandy Frank's 30-year license to Battle of the Planets is expired.
An oft-delayed CGI film based on the franchise, Gatchaman, last slated for a 2011 release from Warner Bros., was officially cancelled in June 2011.
Summary
Battle of the Planets casts five young people as G-Force, consisting of Mark, Jason, Princess, Keyop, and Tiny. The question has been raised whether or not the characters were cyborgs due to their "cerebonic" enhancements which granted them superhuman agility and demonstrations of power such as their tornado-like, spinning force "Whirlwind Pyramid" form.G-Force protects Earth from planet Spectra and other attacks from beyond space. The most prominent field commander of the Spectra forces was a villainous, masked individual known only as Zoltar. Zoltar would receive his orders directly from a being he would refer only to as "Luminous One". The Luminous One would appear only as a ghost-like, disembodied, floating head. Who, or what this being actually was, is never explained in any detail throughout the series. Some have offered suggestions that it could have been some sort of an alien life form due to the Spectra organization being cast as "alien" invaders from another planet. Another suggestion was that it was an advanced Artificial Intelligence that either took over command of Spectra, was given command of Spectra, or who may have even created Spectra due to its superior intellect, organizational skills and strategic abilities. However, as of this writing, no clear explanation or back story has been provided on the creature.
The main ship of the G-Force team is called the Phoenix, which can carry, transport and deploy four smaller vehicles, each operated by one team member. The four vehicles include a futuristic race car with various hidden weapons driven by Jason; this vehicle is concealed within the Phoenix's nosecone. The "galacti-cycle", a futuristic motor cycle the Princess rides, is stored within the left wing capsule of the Phoenix. Keyop's "Space Bubble", an all-terrain, tank-like vehicle capable of VTOL
VTOL
A vertical take-off and landing aircraft is one that can hover, take off and land vertically. This classification includes fixed-wing aircraft as well as helicopters and other aircraft with powered rotors, such as cyclogyros/cyclocopters and tiltrotors...
as well as being a submersible craft, is held in the right storage capsule of the Phoenix. And lastly, a futuristic jet fighter Mark pilots is stored in the top rear section of the Phoenix command island structure, and which uses its tail fin to make up the center tail fin for the Phoenix. The fifth crew member, Tiny, was assigned to pilot the Phoenix rather than one of the detachable craft.
A regularly featured plot device was the transformation of the Phoenix into a flaming bird-shaped craft able to handle virtually any exceptional situation by functioning as a sort of giant, super blowtorch called the Fiery Phoenix. The Phoenix’s primary weapon was a supply of rockets called "Bird missiles" in the series. It also occasionally flaunted a powerful solar-powered energy blaster, although the team had the misfortune of choosing very cloudy days to use it.
The G-Force team themselves would use a combination of martial arts skill, ninja-like weapons, and their "cerebonic" powers to dispatch hordes of enemy soldiers and overcome other obstacles. Their bird-like costumes include wing-like capes that could fan out and function nearly identically to parachutes, enabling the G-Force members to drift or glide down to safety from heights which would otherwise prove fatal.
The G-Force members stay in contact through a wrist-band communicator device which also serves as a way for them to change instantly into their G-Force uniforms or back into their civilian clothes. Other weapons seen displayed by various team members include, but not limited to: Mark's sonic boomerang, a bird-shaped boomerang with razor sharp wings; Jason's and Tiny's multi-purpose gadget guns, which can be outfitted with grappling hook and line, drill bits, etc.; and Keyop's and Princess's yo-yo bombs, which could be used as bolas, darts, and explosive devices. Other weapons include feathers with a sharpened steel quill that could be used as deadly throwing darts, and mini-grenades shaped like ball bearings with spike studs.
Subsequent versions
Turner Program Services
Turner Program Services was the former syndication arm of Turner Broadcasting. It served the same purpose as Turner Entertainment's distribution unit, with the exception that TPS was more involved in distributing television series rather than films....
, with a good deal of the original content that had been edited out of Battle of the Planets put back in to the show. It followed the plot of the original Gatchaman much more faithfully than Battle of the Planets because of this. Missing was Hoyt Curtin
Hoyt Curtin
Hoyt Stoddard Curtin was an American composer and music producer, the primary musical director for the Hanna-Barbera animation studio from its beginnings with The Ruff & Reddy Show in 1957 until his retirement in 1986, except from 1963-1973, when the primary music director was Ted Nichols...
's original score and new voice acting.
Two soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
albums and several DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s have also been released.
The two Japanese follow-up series (Gatchaman II
Gatchaman II (TV Series)
is the direct sequel to Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, set two years after the first television series. After the defeat of Leader X, he exacts his revenge by mutating a young girl into Gel Sadra, making her the new leader of Galactor. While Galactor returns, Dr.Nambu and the International Science...
and Gatchaman F
Gatchaman F
is the direct sequel to Gatchaman II. In the continuing saga, a surviving fragment of Leader X mutates into Leader Z, and recruits megalomaniac Count Egobossler to create an army to conquer the world...
) were combined into 65 episodes and released as the Saban
Saban
Saban Entertainment , was a worldwide-served independent American television production company formed in 1984 by music and television producers Haim Saban and Shuki Levy as "Saban Productions", a U.S...
-produced show Eagle Riders. All 65 episodes aired in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, but in the United States only 13 episodes were aired.
Key changes in the adaptation
The Battle of the Planets adaptation differs significantly from Gatchaman. The difference is due to heavy editing made to make the show appealing to the audience in the United States by removing controversial elements (i.e. graphic violence, profanity and transgenderTransgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
ism) while adding elements reminiscent of the feature film Star Wars
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
, which was popular at the time. In fact the name "Battle of the Planets" was an attempt to associate itself with that popularity of Star Wars (Battle vs. Wars and Planets vs. Star). While the original Gatchaman was earthbound, dark-toned, and environmentally themed, the adaptation morphed it into a kid-friendly outer space show with robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
characters, although some environmental themes were kept, and this is also why the other planets to which G-Force traveled on missions looked very much like Earth. Setting, violence, objectionable language, and (most) character fatalities were altered or eliminated by cutting scenes, dubbing, and explanatory voiceover
VoiceOver
VoiceOver is a screen reader built into Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X, iOS and iPod operating systems. By using VoiceOver, the user can access their Macintosh or iOS device based on spoken descriptions and, in the case of the Mac, the keyboard. The feature is designed to increase accessibility for blind...
s (for instance, claiming that the city had been evacuated before a battle scene that would show the incidental destruction of buildings and houses, as well as explaining away the destruction of the Earth armies and air forces as being robot tanks and fighter planes).
One of the most notable changes in the BotP adaptation involves the character Keyop (Jinpei in Gatchaman), who picked up a bizarre verbal tic
Tic
A tic is a sudden, repetitive, nonrhythmic, stereotyped motor movement or vocalization involving discrete muscle groups. Tics can be invisible to the observer, such as abdominal tensing or toe crunching. Common motor and phonic tics are, respectively, eye blinking and throat clearing...
of stuttering, chirping, and burbling every time he started to speak. There was a longstanding fan rumor that this was done because the original character spoke using much profanity and that Keyop's excess mouth motion would cover up deleting the words. This was not true, as demonstrated by the existence of an unedited Gatchaman version released by ADV Films in the USA, in which Keyop rarely if ever used profanity. The in-story explanation for Keyop's unique manner of speech is that he is an artificial life form with a speech impediment because of slightly defective genetic engineering.
The main villain, known as Zoltar in BotP, had an unusual background due to the hermaphroditic
Hermaphrodite
In biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both...
nature of the original Berg Katse character. In an episode where Katse's female half was featured (BotP title: "The Galaxy Girls"), she was introduced as a separate character, Zoltar's sister, for BotP. (A hint of her actual nature was retained in the name she used when masquerading as a human, Mala Latroz—"Latroz" is an anagram of "Zoltar.")
To compensate for the other differences, a robot named 7-Zark-7 performed explanatory voiceovers and light comic relief, which not only padded the time lost from editing but also filled in the gaps in the story line. This device bears the influence of contemporary Star Wars film, with 7-Zark-7 having a visual appearance not dissimilar from R2-D2
R2-D2
R2-D2 , is a character in the Star Wars universe. An astromech droid, R2-D2 is a major character throughout all six Star Wars films. Along with his droid companion C-3PO, he joins or supports Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Obi-Wan Kenobi in various points in the saga...
, and a somewhat campy personality in the style of C3PO. Notionally, 7-Zark-7 ran the undersea monitoring station Center Neptune, from where he received information regarding incoming threats to Earth and relayed that information to G-Force. Zark and other added characters, such as 1-Rover-1, Zark's robotic dog (who could hover from one side of the control room to the other by spinning his tail like a propeller
Propeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
, Muttley
Muttley
Muttley is a Hanna-Barbera animated fictional character created by Iwao Takamoto and originally voiced by Don Messick. In the 2000 Wacky Races videogame he was voiced by Billy West.-Bio:...
-style) and Susan (the early-warning computer whose sultry feminine voice often sent Zark into paroxysms) added to the cartoon's youth appeal. Some additional footage was also animated showing G-Force members (using their Gatchaman model sheets) interacting with Zark, helping his addition blend more smoothly into the existing Gatchaman footage (although there is a clear difference in quality between the Zark and the Gatchaman animation).
At the time, Battle of the Planets was a favorite with children; the series is generally recalled with fondness by those now-adult viewers. However, some fans of the original Gatchaman contend that because of all the changes made, the resulting Battle of the Planets is and should be considered as a wholly different show. It should be noted that, in spite of the alterations, the plot and character development of the adaptation generally follows that of the original to a higher degree than for which it is usually given credit.
Production staff
Owned and distributed by: Sandy Frank Entertainment (1978–2007, license expired)Produced by: Sandy Frank Film Syndication, Gallerie International Films Ltd.
Executive Producers: Jameson Brewer, Sandy Frank
Sandy Frank
Sandy Frank is an American television producer and international TV program distributor as well as a marketer of TV shows to US networks.-Early life and career:...
Associate Producer: Warner E. Leighton
Warner E. Leighton
Warner Elvon Leighton was an American film, sound, music, effects and supervising editor. An only child, he married Patricia Relyea in the early 1950s. He had two daughters with Patricia; Denise was born in 1955 and Cynthia was born in 1958. He also had one Grandson, Kyler, born in 1993. Later,...
Producer-Directors: David E. Hanson, Alan Dinehart
Writers: Jameson Brewer, Peter B. Germano
Peter B. Germano
Peter B. Germano was an author of short stories, novels, and television scripts. He began his career with short stories. He wrote articles documenting the Marines in World War II as a combat correspondent. He wrote novels, most of which were westerns, but also wrote science fiction...
, William Bloom
William Bloom
William Bloom is a British teacher, healer and author in the field of holistic development.Born in 1948 in central London, at 22 he was a commissioning editor at Macmillan’s. He was responsible for creating the Open Gate imprint....
, Jack Paritz, Harry Winkler
Harry Winkler (writer)
Harry Winkler was an American sitcom writer who wrote for such shows as The Addams Family, The George Gobel Show, and others. He shared an Emmy award in 1955 for The George Gobel Show and was nominated the following year for the same show....
, Helen Sosin, Muriel Germano, Dick Shaw, Kevin Coates
Kevin Coates
Kevin Coates is a British Artist Goldsmith. He is also a musician who specialises in Baroque and early classical music.-Early life:...
, Howard Post
Howard Post
Howard Post , aka Howie Post, was an American animator, cartoonist and comic strip and comic book writer-artist....
, Sid Morse
Supervising Film Editor: Franklin Cofod
Assistant Editor: Pam Bentkowski
Voice Director: Alan Dinehart
Assistant Voice Director: Alan Dinehart Jr
Creative Consultant: David Levy
Standards and Practices: Winifred Treimer
Program Consultants: Leonard Reeg, George Serban, M.D.
Production Executives: Irving Klein, Tom Swafford
Production Assistant: Bob Robinson
Bob Robinson
Bob Robison is an American slalom canoer who competed in the late 1970s. He won a bronze medal in the C-1 event at the 1979 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in Jonquière, Quebec.-References:*...
Production Manager: Emil Carle
Animation Supervisor: Harold Johns
Design Consultant: Alex Toth
Alex Toth
Alexander Toth was an American professional cartoonist active from the 1940s through the 1980s. Toth's work began in the American comic book industry, but is known for his animation designs for Hanna-Barbera throughout the 1960s and 1970s. His work included Super Friends, Space Ghost, The...
Music Composers: Hoyt S. Curtin, Dennis Dreith
Dennis Dreith
Dennis Dreith is a motion picture music composer, arranger, and conductor. He is also known as an influential advocate for studio musician's rights.-Life:...
, Richard Greene
Music Supervisors: Paul DeKorte, Igo Kantor
ADR Recording: TV-R Hollywood
Camera: Take One
Take One
Take One: Film & Television in Canada Although it shares the name with the original Take One, Take One: Film and Television in Canada was a separate publication with no connection to its predecessor. And unlike the original, its focus was entirely Canadian...
Ink and Paint: C&D Productions, Hollywood
Titles: Thomas Wogatzke
Voice cast
Mark: Casey KasemCasey Kasem
Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem is an American radio personality and voice actor who is best known for being the host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40, and for voicing Shaggy in the popular Saturday morning cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo.Kasem, along with Don Bustany and...
Jason: Unknown ("Attack of The Space Terrapin"), Ronnie Schell
Ronnie Schell
Ronald Ralph "Ronnie" Schell is an American actor, stand-up comedian and cartoon voice actor . Early in his career he appeared as himself as a contestant on You Bet Your Life opposite Groucho Marx, demonstrating a comic barrage of jive talk.-Life and career:Schell was born in Richmond, California...
(all other episodes)
Princess/Susan/Mala: Janet Waldo
Janet Waldo
Janet Waldo is an American actress and voice artist with a career encompassing radio, television, animation and live-action films. She is best known in animation for voicing Judy Jetson, Penelope Pitstop and Josie McCoy in Josie and the Pussycats...
Keyop/7-Zark-7: Alan Young
Alan Young
Alan Young is an English-Canadian actor and voice actor, best known for his role as Wilbur Post in the television series Mister Ed and as the voice of Scrooge McDuck in Disney films, TV series and video games...
Tiny: Ronnie Schell
Ronnie Schell
Ronald Ralph "Ronnie" Schell is an American actor, stand-up comedian and cartoon voice actor . Early in his career he appeared as himself as a contestant on You Bet Your Life opposite Groucho Marx, demonstrating a comic barrage of jive talk.-Life and career:Schell was born in Richmond, California...
("Attack Of The Space Terrapin"), Alan Dinehart Jr (all other episodes)
Chief Anderson/President Kane: Alan Dinehart Jr
Zoltar/The Great Spirit/Colonel Cronus: Keye Luke
Keye Luke
Keye Luke was a Chinese-born American actor. He was the first Chinese-American contract player signed with RKO, Universal and, later, MGM and is generally acknowledged as the leading Asian-American actor of this era of American cinema.-Background:...
Announcer: William Woodson
Misc.: Alan Oppenheimer
Alan Oppenheimer
Alan Oppenheimer is an American character actor and voice actor. He has performed numerous roles on live-action television since the 1960s, and has had an active career doing voice work in cartoons since the 1970s.-Early life:...
, David Joliffe, Wendy Young, Takayo Fischer
Takayo Fischer
Takayo Fischer is an American stage, film and TV actress, as well as voice-over actress and singer.-Personal life:Fischer was born in Hardwick, California, the daughter of Issei Chukuro and Kinko Tsubouchi...
Comic books
Battle of the Planets was also released in comic bookComic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
form, originally by Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984.-History:...
, but later revamped by Top Cow Productions
Top Cow Productions
Top Cow Productions is an American comics publisher, a partner studio of Image Comics founded by Marc Silvestri in 1992.-History:...
. Among the Top Cow comic books was Battle of the Planets: Princess, written by David Wohl
David Wohl
David Wohl is an American comic book writer and editor. He is best known as an editor at Marvel Comics and Top Cow Productions and, at the latter, writing The Darkness and Witchblade.-Biography:...
with art by Wilson Tortosa
Wilson Tortosa
Wilson "Wunan" Tortosa is a Filipino comic book artist best known for his works on Tomb Raider and the American re-launch of Battle of The Planets for Top Cow Productions....
, released in 2002
2002 in comics
-March:* Adventures of Superman #600: super-sized anniversary issue by Joe Casey, Mike Wieringo, and Jose Marzan, Jr. -April:* Batman #600: "Bruce Wayne: Fugitive," part one, 64-page giant, written by Ed Brubaker.-January:...
. A Battle of the Planets comic strip ran in the British TV Comic
TV Comic
TV Comic was a British comic book published weekly between November 9, 1951 and June 29, 1984 for 1,697 issues. With its bright, eye-catching covers, it featured stories based on television shows running at the time of publication. The first issue had 8 pages and had Muffin the Mule on the cover....
. The TV Comic issues which feature the Battle of the Planets strip run from #1530 (17 April 1981) to #1671 (30 December 1983). TV Comic also reprinted some of the Gold Key stories for two Battle of the Planets holiday specials and one TV Comic holiday special. There was also a Battle of the Planets annual which reprinted some of the Gold Key stories.
Characters
The re-naming of the various characters and terms in Battle of the Planets are highlighted as follows (in correspondence to their Gatchaman equivalents, among others):| Gatchaman | Battle of the Planets | G-Force | Eagle Riders | OVA Original video animation , abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation... (Dub) | Rank | Bird Uniform | Weapon | Mecha | Japanese Japanese language is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an... seiyū Seiyu Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and... | Voice actor (BOTP) | Voice actor (G-Force) | Voice actor (OVA Dub) | Voice actor (Eagle Riders) | Voice actor (ADV Dub) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Washio | Mark | Ace Goodheart | Hunter Harris | Ken the Eagle | G1 | Eagle | Razor boomerang | Airplane | Katsuji Mori Katsuji Mori is a Japanese voice actor often accredited as the Casey Kasem of Japan. He is most known for the roles of Go Mifune , Joe Shimamura/009 , Ken the Eagle , Jouji Minami , and Garma Zabi .- Anime :*Nephrite in Sailor Moon*Seiji Hayami in Cutey Honey*Go Mifune in Mach Go Go Go/Speed Racer is a... |
Casey Kasem Casey Kasem Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem is an American radio personality and voice actor who is best known for being the host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40, and for voicing Shaggy in the popular Saturday morning cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo.Kasem, along with Don Bustany and... |
Sam Fontana | Eddie Frierson Eddie Frierson Edward Davies "Eddie" Frierson is an American voice actor and stage actor who is also known as Christy Mathewson, Ted Richards, and Eric Frierson Edward Davies "Eddie" Frierson (born November 22, 1959) is an American voice actor and stage actor who is also known as Christy Mathewson, Ted Richards,... |
Richard Cansino Richard Cansino Richard Cansino is an American voice actor. He is also known as Richard Hayworth because he is the nephew of Rita Hayworth, and occasionally goes by the name Steve Davis after the British snooker player of the same name... |
Leraldo Anzaldua Leraldo Anzaldua Leraldo Anzaldua is an American actor, stunt coordinator, and voice actor who works with ADV Films and Seraphim Digital. He is known for providing the English voice of Kazuki Sendo in Comic Party Revolution, Ken Washio/G-1, in Gatchaman, Takashi Komuro in Highschool of the Dead, and Zed in Kiba... |
| Joe Asakura | Jason | Dirk Daring | Joe Thax | Joe the Condor | G2 | Condor | Pistol | Race Car | Isao Sasaki Isao Sasaki is a Japanese seiyū, actor, and vocalist. He has had voice roles in anime such as Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Space Battleship Yamato, and Gatchaman. He has also performed the opening themes for anime such as Yamato, Star of the Giants, Getter Robo, Casshan, Grendizer, Gaiking and tokusatsu... |
Ronnie Schell Ronnie Schell Ronald Ralph "Ronnie" Schell is an American actor, stand-up comedian and cartoon voice actor . Early in his career he appeared as himself as a contestant on You Bet Your Life opposite Groucho Marx, demonstrating a comic barrage of jive talk.-Life and career:Schell was born in Richmond, California... |
Cam Clarke Cam Clarke Cameron Arthur "Cam" Clarke is a prolific American voice actor and singer, well known for his work in animation and video games. Clarke is well known for providing the voices of Leonardo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Shotaro Kaneda in the 1989 original English-dub of Akira. He often voices... |
Richard Cansino Richard Cansino Richard Cansino is an American voice actor. He is also known as Richard Hayworth because he is the nephew of Rita Hayworth, and occasionally goes by the name Steve Davis after the British snooker player of the same name... |
Bryan Cranston Bryan Cranston Bryan Lee Cranston is an American actor, voice actor, writer and director. He is best known for his roles as Hal the father in the Fox situation comedy Malcolm in the Middle, and Walter White in the AMC drama series Breaking Bad, for which he won three consecutive Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama... |
Brian Jepson Brian Jepson Brian Jepson is an American voice actor who works for Elephant Productions. He has done voice over work for Tx DOT, PBS, The Lance Armstrong Foundation, ADV Films, Sony Entertainment Online and various other companies including Retro Studios, creators of the Wii video game Metroid Prime 3:... |
| Jun | Princess | Agatha June ("Aggie") | Kelly Jennar | June the Swan | G3 | Swan | Yo-yo | Motorcycle | Kazuko Sugiyama Kazuko Sugiyama , born is a voice actress who was born in Nagoya and works for Aoni Production.In February 2010, she received a "Merit Awards" from the 4th Seiyū Awards.... |
Janet Waldo Janet Waldo Janet Waldo is an American actress and voice artist with a career encompassing radio, television, animation and live-action films. She is best known in animation for voicing Judy Jetson, Penelope Pitstop and Josie McCoy in Josie and the Pussycats... |
Barbara Goodson Barbara Goodson Barbara Goodson is an American actress known mostly for her versatility in voicing original and dubbed cartoons. She is voted one of the ten best women to do the voices for young males in cartoons... |
Lara Cody Lara Cody Laura Ann Cody , better known as Lara Cody, is an American voice actress. She also goes under the name "Deanna Morris." She is best known for her role for playing "Rosemary" in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots.-Anime:*A Little Snow Fairy Sugar -... |
Heidi Noelle Lenhart | Kim Prause Kim Prause Kim Prause is an American voice actress and theatre actress. She has done several anime voice roles for ADV Films.-Voice roles:* Air - Kano's Mother* Angelic Layer - Chitose Tanaka* Aquarian Age: Sign for Evolution - Arayashiki East... |
| Jinpei | Keyop | Pee Wee | Mickey Dugan | Jimmy the Falcon | G4 | Swallow | Bolo | Dune Buggy | Yoku Shioya Yoku Shioya is a Japanese voice actor debuting in Umi no Triton . Recently he has done some voice directing in such anime as Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls. His real name is Tsubasa Shioya... |
Alan Young Alan Young Alan Young is an English-Canadian actor and voice actor, best known for his role as Wilbur Post in the television series Mister Ed and as the voice of Scrooge McDuck in Disney films, TV series and video games... |
Barbara Goodson Barbara Goodson Barbara Goodson is an American actress known mostly for her versatility in voicing original and dubbed cartoons. She is voted one of the ten best women to do the voices for young males in cartoons... |
Mona Marshall Mona Marshall Mona M. Ianotti is an American voice actress. She is often cast in the role of young boys. Her roles have included parts in not only Japanese anime, but also in American cartoons as well. Mona Marshall has recently lent her voice to the talking bear Koby the Study Buddy... |
Luci Christian Luci Christian Louisa Michelle Christian is an American voice actress and ADR Script Writer who is affiliated with Funimation Entertainment, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital, and OkraTron 5000... |
|
| Ryu Nakanishi | Tiny Harper | Hoot Owl ("Hooty") | Ollie Keeawani | Rocky the Owl | G5 | Owl | Pistol | God Phoenix | Shingo Kanemoto Shingo Kanemoto was a Japanese voice actor originally from Fukuoka Prefecture. On February 24, 1991, he died of intra-axial hematoma at the age of 58. After his death, his ongoing roles went to Takeshi Watabe.-Notable voice work:*Space Battleship Yamato III... |
Alan Dinehart | Jan Rabson Jan Rabson Jan Rabson is an American actor and voice actor.Rabson was born in East Meadow, New York. Jan's voice has been heard on thousands of commercials, films, TV shows and animated films and series... /Gregg Berger Gregg Berger Greggory "Gregg" Berger is an American voice actor, who is known for his longtime role as Odie the dog from the Garfield franchise... |
Richard Epcar Richard Epcar Richard Epcar is an American actor voice actor / director, mostly specializing in the field of voice acting in games, animation and anime. He is the husband of voice actress Ellyn Stern, with whom he owns and operates Epcar Entertainment, Inc., a voiceover production service company based in Los... |
Paul Schrier Paul Schrier Paul L. Schrier II is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role of Farkas "Bulk" Bulkmeier in the Power Rangers series. He portrayed the character for seven seasons from 1993–1999, returning in 2011 for the eighteenth season of Power Rangers Samurai, and was the last original cast... |
Victor Carsrud |
Other character variations across different versions
| Gatchaman | Battle of the Planets | G-Force | Eagle Riders | OVA (Dub) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Kozaburo Nambu | Chief Anderson | Dr. Benjamin Brighthead | Dr. Thaddeus Keane | Dr. Kozaburo Nambu |
| ISO Director Anderson | President Kane | Anderson/Cmdr. Todd (some episodes) | Anderson | Director Anderson |
| Red Impulse / Kentaro Washio |
Col. Cronos | Red Impulse / Mr. Goodheart | Harley Harris | Red Spectre |
| Berg Katse | Zoltar | Galactor | Lukan | Solaris |
| Sosai (Leader) X | O Luminous One / The Great Spirit |
Computor | Cybercom | Lord Zortek |
| Galactor | Planet Spectra | Planet Galactor | Vorak | Galactor |
| Gel Sadra (Gatchaman 2) |
Mallanox |
Other notable changes
| Gatchaman Identity change command | Battle of the Planets Identity change command | G-Force Identity change command | Eagle Riders change command | OVA change command (English) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bird, Go! | Transmute! | G-force Transform! | Eagle Mode, NOW! |
|
In popular culture
- The third season episode of Robot ChickenRobot ChickenRobot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
, "Squaw Bury Shortcake" has a skit where the character Tiny Harper is convinced to lose his excess weight. This results in him becoming an even more efficient member of the team, much to the chargin of his fellow male teammates.
- The show was voted #42 on Channel 4'sChannel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
100 Greatest Kids' TV shows in 2001. - The show was voted #62 on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Cartoons in 2004.
- Battle of the Planets receives an homage from the anime-inspired Teen TitansTeen Titans (TV series)Teen Titans is an American animated television series based on the DC Comics characters of the same name. The show was created by Glen Murakami, developed by David Slack, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered on Cartoon Network on July 19, 2003, and the final episode "Things Change"...
series. In one episode, Robin dons a "flight suit" resembling the Science Ninja team's bird-like uniforms after ejecting from his R-cycle. Robin's boomerang is also similar to Ken The Eagle's boomerang.
- In the Web comic Sluggy FreelanceSluggy FreelanceSluggy Freelance is a popular, long-running daily webcomic written and drawn by Pete Abrams. The comic has over 100,000 daily readers and premiered on August 25, 1997...
, the main characters, Torg and Riff, accidentally teleport to a dimension filled with animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
characters filled with parodies of the main characters from Battle of the Planets as well as VoltronVoltronVoltron is the titular super robot of an anime series that features a team of young pilots, known as the Voltron Force. The team’s individual vehicles join together to form the giant super robot, with which they defend the galaxy from evil...
and other anime of the same genre.
- According to Wizard magazine, Battle of the Planets is considered to be one of the 100 greatest animated shows.
- The mecha parody cartoon Megas XLRMegas XLRMegas XLR is an American animated television series that aired on the Toonami block on Cartoon Network and is produced by Cartoon Network Studios. It was created by Jody Schaeffer and George Krstic...
features a Gatchaman-like team in one episode, "Bad Guy". They reappear in the episode "S-Force SOS", which also features villains resembling Zoltar and Spectra henchmen.
- The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
's opening couch gag from 14 December 2003 is set in a street bench in Japan, and everyone is a famous anime or tokusatsuTokusatsuis a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
character: Homer is UltramanUltramanis Japanese television series that first aired in 1966. Ultraman, the first and best-known of the "Ultra-Crusaders," made his debut in the tokusatsu SF/kaiju/superhero TV series, , a follow-up to the television series Ultra Q...
, Marge is Princess from Battle of the Planets, Lisa is Usagi Tsukino, the protagonist from Sailor MoonSailor MoonSailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
, Bart is Astro BoyAstro Boy (character)is a fictional character, and the main protagonist of the Astro Boy franchise. Created by Osamu Tezuka, the character was introduced in the 1951 Captain Atom manga...
and Maggie is PikachuPikachuis one of the species of Pokémon creatures from the Pokémon media franchise—a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards, and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. As do all Pokémon, Pikachu fight other Pokémon in battles central to the anime, manga, and games of the series...
from PokémonPokémonis a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
. The episode was called "'Tis the Fifteenth Season'Tis the Fifteenth SeasonTis the Fifteenth Season is the seventh episode of The Simpsons fifteenth season. This episode is notable as being the first to make reference to Lisa's Buddhism, to which she converted in an earlier Christmas episode, "She of Little Faith".-Plot:...
".
- In 2009, IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
ranked BOTP as the 44th greatest animated show of all time in their Top 100 list.
- Underground rapper Vast AireVast AireVast Aire is a rapper from New York City. He is one half of the New York hip hop duo Cannibal Ox, which consists of him and fellow rapper Vordul Mega. He is also a member of the rap group Atoms Family...
references "Phoenix" and "G-Force" in his dis track to the emcee known as Cage titled "Battle of the Planets".
- Rapper The D.O.C.The D.O.C.Tracy Lynn Curry , primarily known by his stage name The D.O.C., is an American rapper from Dallas, Texas. In addition to a solo career, he was a member of the hip hop group Fila Fresh Crew, and a creative force behind the gangsta rap group N.W.A, where he co-wrote many of their releases. He has...
's track "Whirlwind Pyramid" references G-Force's team tornado manoeuvre.
- In the children's literacy program Super Why, the Super Readers change into their costumes in a "transform" sequence that is reminiscent of G-Force's "transmute" sequence.
- The Rock band "Man or Astro-Man?" on the album "EXPERIMENT ZERO" released a song titled "Evil Plans from Planet Spectra", appearing to use the band's music to destroy Earth. This included audio clips which seemed to be from "Zoltar", like "Now let's show them what our Spectra sound can really do!".
Further reading
- G-Force: Animated (TwoMorrows PublishingTwoMorrows PublishingTwoMorrows Publishing is a publisher of magazines about comic books, founded in 1994 by John and Pam Morrow out of their small advertising agency in Raleigh, North Carolina...
: ISBN 978-1-893905-18-4)http://books.google.com/books?id=Agv8Lfp4DvUC&pg=PA5&dq=Gatchaman&lr=&as_brr=3&ei=4EfASP3rF5mMjAGEtMXrDQ&sig=ACfU3U3a6PsMmIwPeu59bc7DgxVqvCwoRg#PPP1,M1